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Don’t get it wet or feed it after midnight

I have a few quilting rules, most of them regulate what I can and cannot attempt to sew after 10 p.m. Paper piecing is at the top of the do not attempt list. The results are similar to getting a Mogwai wet or feeding it after midnight. My sewing abilities turn into the quilting equivalent of […]

March BOM sneak peak!

I’ve got a sneak peak of the March Block of the Month for you! Next month we’ll go over how to put together the center medallion with some tips and tricks on how to get those points to match up just so. But the main part of the lesson is how to properly measure your […]

July Block of the Month

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July! Now that you’re all rested and refreshed, it is time to get started on the July Block of the Month pattern. This month and for every month until the end of the year, we will just be making four, 12-inch blocks as we finish the corners […]

After quilt retreat: Batik tree skirt

I spent 25 hours working on the batik tree skirt for the Mississippi Valley Quilters Guild’s tree in the Festival of Trees fundraiser next month. The first seven were spent cutting the fabric. The pattern and templates were all on paper. I had one chance to cut the templates right so I had to take […]

I’m on Craftsy

I discovered Craftsy this week. It’s glorious. You can find patterns from independent designers like myself for quilting, knitting, jewelry and more. So naturally I created a shop for my patterns. My goal is to create two pattern books, one of triangles using my method of piecing them all from squares and another one of […]

You won’t want to put ‘The Spymistress’ down

Filled with intrigued, danger and a woman who was far ahead of her time, Elm Creek Quilts author Jennifer Chiaverini does not disappoint with “The Spymistress.” Following the life of Elizabeth Van Lew just before, during and after the Civil War, the historical novel delves into the covert activities the real life Military Intelligence Hall […]

November Block of the Month

We’re almost there. This is the second-to-last month for the 2015 Block of the Month and the last month we’re working with the blue fabrics. Next month we’ll move onto the purples and then we’ll put the entire quilt top together. Get excited! As usual, we’re making a lot of half-square triangles. The complicated look […]

Dare to DIY: Homemade gifts

My friend Kim Woodward is hosting a Dare to DIY blog party over at NewlyWoodwards.com. This week the challenge is to make homemade gifts. Over the weekend I whipped up some Christmas stockings for my sister, brother-in-law and new nephew. When my sister asked for stockings I reminded her that I still haven’t made stockings […]

Snowed in with the Winter Blues

I live in the Midwest, which means a big winter storm has blanketed my town. Appropriately, I was working on my king sized Winter Blues quilt when the storm hit. I already finished a lap-sized one for practice and the pattern is available on for download. I’m about halfway done with the quilting. I think […]